The CompM2 is a battery-powered, non-magnifying

red dot The Red Dot Design Award is an international, annual design competition for product and industrial design, brand and communication design as well as design concepts, in which the Red Dot quality label is awarded to winners. The Red Dot Design A ...

type of

reflex sight A reflector sight or reflex sight is an optical sight that allows the user to look through a partially reflecting glass element and see an aiming point or some image (helping to aim the device, to which the sight is attached, on the target) sup ...

for

firearm A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

s manufactured by

Aimpoint AB Aimpoint AB is a Swedish optics company based in Malmö, Sweden that manufactures red dot sights. Aimpoint is a contractor for the United States military and supplies the Aimpoint CompM4. Aimpoint products are used by various armed forces, ...

. It was first introduced in the

U.S. Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...

in 2000, designated as the M68 Close Combat Optic (M68 CCO; NSN: 1240-01-411-1265). It is also known as the ''M68 Aimpoint'' and is designed to meet United States military standards. The sight is designed for use with the

M16 The M16 (officially Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of assault rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-round magazine. In 1964, th ...

/ M4 family of rifles, but can be mounted on any weapon fitted with an upper

Picatinny rail The 1913 rail (MIL-STD-1913 rail) is an American rail integration system designed by Richard Swan that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It forms part of the NATO standard STANAG 2324 rail. It was originally used for mount ...

. It is also NVG-compatible—the aiming dot is still visible through

night vision Night vision is the ability to see in low-light conditions, either naturally with scotopic vision or through a night-vision device. Night vision requires both sufficient spectral range and sufficient intensity range. Humans have poor night v ...

scopes and

goggles Goggles, or safety glasses, are forms of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the area surrounding the eye in order to prevent particulates, water or chemicals from striking the eyes. They are used in chemistry laboratories and ...

. The Army's M68 designation was also applied to a later version of the sight, the

Aimpoint CompM4 The Aimpoint CompM4 is a non-magnified red dot style gun sight adopted by the U.S. Armed Forces, designated the M68 CCO (Close Combat Optic). It is produced by the Swedish company Aimpoint and is the successor to the earlier M68CCO, the Aimpo ...

Overview

The M68 is

parallax Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different sightline, lines of sight and is measured by the angle or half-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to perspective (graphica ...

-free at around 45.7 m (50 yards), meaning that the red dot will not change position based on eye position at that range. At shorter ranges the point of aim will change position based on eye position with the maximum error being equal to the radius of the sight's optical window at short range. The sight is water-tight down to 25 meters and runs on one 3-

volt The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, Voltage#Galvani potential vs. electrochemical potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units, International System of Uni ...

lithium battery Lithium battery may refer to: * Lithium metal battery, a non-rechargeable battery with lithium as an anode ** Lithium–air battery ** Lithium–iron disulfide battery ** Lithium–sulfur battery ** Nickel–lithium battery ** Rechargeable li ...

type 2L76 or DL1/3N. Aiming dot brightness is adjustable for better visibility or increased battery life. The CompM2 is used across branches of the

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, and various

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

countries, among them

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. A variant known as the ECOS-N (NSN: 1240-01-495-1385) is also issued as part of the U.S.

SOPMOD The Special Operations Peculiar MODification (SOPMOD) kit is an accessory system for the M4A1 carbine, CQBR, FN SCAR Mk 16/17, HK416 and other weapons used by United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) special forces units, though i ...

kit. The sight is also available on the civilian market and is employed by various

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

organizations (especially for SWAT type situations that involve close quarters work) and by recreational shooters. By August 2011, the U.S. Army had bought 1,000,000 M68 Close Combat Optics. Some 85 percent of Army M4s are issued with the CCO, though optics can vary depending on unit. The sight allows soldiers to engage targets out to 300 meters while keeping both eyes open for situational awareness. Post combat surveys show an 85 percent acceptance rate of the CCO as an effective optic and for its value for close quarters fighting. In July 2009, the Army purchased 565,783

sights (a later version of the CompM2), as part of the M68 CCO program.

Dimensions

*Length: 130 mm (5.1 in) *Width: 55 mm (2.2 in) *Height: 55 mm (2.2 in) *Mounting ring width: 30 mm (1.2 in)

Users

* *: Used by

Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army (, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the army, land force of Greece. The term Names of the Greeks, '' Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the largest of the three branches ...

SF. *: Used by

PASKAL Paskal or Paškal is a masculine given name which may refer to: * Paškal Jukić (1748-1806), preacher, musician, and professor of philosophy from what is now Croatia * Paskal Milo (born 1949), Albanian historian, politician and leader of the So ...

on XM8 and Heckler & Koch G36E rifles. * *: Used on

Heckler & Koch HK416 The Heckler & Koch HK416 is an assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO Cartridge (firearms), cartridge. It is designed and manufactured by the German company Heckler & Koch. Although the design is based on the AR-15 class of firearm (sp ...

. * *: Mounted and used on M4 carbines in

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...

mission in

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

. *: M68 Close Combat Optic donated by

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

to Ukrainian Special Forces *

References

{{reflist

External links

U.S. Army website with entry on the M68Increasing Small Arms Lethality in Afghanistan: Taking Back the Infantry Half-Kilometer
Describes the use of the M68 CCO Firearm sights

Overview

Dimensions

Users

See also

References

External links